What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Zoupa]

It's a shame that you don't even consider what I'm saying. I'm not the first poster to point out this tendency of yours.

It's a shame you don't even consider the implicit judgement the most elite posters here have rendered about my good faith.  It's a shame you don't consider the possibility of your own biases and vanity clouding your judgement of who is excercising good faith.  It's a shame you haven't come to the understanding that moral authority is a privilege that has to be earned, not a birthright.

lol languish and elite don't belong in the same phrase

[Razgovory]

Was it: America bad?  Cause you've been on that one for 25 years now.

No, actually the opposite. Malthus used to accuse me of being too much of an American fanboi. Sadly that is no longer possible.

When was this?  1988?  You've been very unhappy with us for a very long time.  It gets tiresome.

He's been unhappy long enough to eventually be right unless you happen to think America is moving in the right direction, I suppose.

No, America is decline.  I think we are on the precipice of catastrophe.  All the our Anti-American friends are about to get exactly what they asked for, freedom from American hegemony.  

[Jacob]

But we didn't make the bed.  We had a say in making the bed that was larger than any other single state's say.

Agreed, though we probably disagree about the conclusions we derive from that.

My right to be pissy is not impacted.

Also agreed. Your rights are completely unaffected. Though, obviously, I have an opinion about the reasonableness and appropriateness of how you exercise those rights.

I also think the steam has kind of gone out of this fight, so I wish you a happy weekend

[Jacob]

... about to get exactly what they asked for, freedom from American hegemony. 

The argument is not necessarily that the state of the world post-US hegemony is desirable.

It is that there were (and still are) benefits to the US from having and exercising that hegemony, and that accepting and supporting that hegemony was part of the implicit (and sometimes explicit) bargain between the US and its allies.

If we are about to move into a post-US hegemony world we'll all have to figure out how to manage that. Ideally we maintain some of the mutually beneficial elements of our prior arrangements - even if they're renegotiated in new terms for a new reality - but the fact that the US is presently ruled by an utterly corrupt rapist who openly embraces moral evil and seems intent on undermining democracy makes it somewhat of a challenge to navigate for the rest of us.

[Valmy]

All the our Anti-American friends are about to get exactly what they asked for, freedom from American hegemony. 

Those countries were not anti-American you sanctimonous arrogant dick. They were our partners in American hegemony and spent blood for it you ungratefuly piece of shit.

My God you make me hate America. What a bunch of up our own asses ungratious pricks we are.

But since we decided to treat them like enemies and like garbage they now are going to find their own way. And we all will be worse off for it. So enjoy that shit sandwich.

[Valmy]

I just think of all the countries who stuck out their necks on our behalf. Portugal, Spain, Poland, the UK. We made each and every one of them eat shit for it. It's fucking embarrasing.

[Razgovory]

The primary benefit to American hegemony is that the world is stable.  A world free of American Hegemony is likely to be a world of competing power blocs and more armed conflict.  We could avoid the instability if our NATO allies took our place, which is why I called on our friends in Canada to step up and save us all from that.  There doesn't seem to be much of an appetite for that, which is odd since Hegemony is suppose to be so great for the Hegemon.


I am extremely pessimistic about the future.  At this point I'm hoping for an economic crash.  Honestly, a lot of us deserve what is coming.

[HVC]

I just think of all the countries who stuck out their necks on our behalf. Portugal, Spain, Poland, the UK. We made each and every one of them eat shit for it. It's fucking embarrasing.

Don't worry. Portugal is used to it. Eventually their allies always screw them over. I'm looking at you England 

[Razgovory]

All the our Anti-American friends are about to get exactly what they asked for, freedom from American hegemony. 

Those countries were not anti-American you sanctimonous arrogant dick. They were our partners in American hegemony and spent blood for it you ungratefuly piece of shit.

My God you make me hate America. What a bunch of up our own asses ungratious pricks we are.

But since we decided to treat them like enemies and like garbage they now are going to find their own way. And we all will be worse off for it. So enjoy that shit sandwich.

I didn't say our anti-American friends were countries, but many of the citizens of those countries are often anti-American.  We've spent blood trying to protect them and they hold us in contempt.  We've had this discussion before, a good portion of the citizenry do not like us.  And their political leaders capitalize on that.

The problem is that you have internalized that hate.  You already hate the US.  And really, it's the excesses of people like you that seems to have triggered the Trump reaction.  If you want to see the culprit here, look in a mirror.

[grumbler]

I note with distress the increasing tendency of those here (like those on the internet in general) to ascribe to "us" the sacrifices made by others. To ascribe to "us" the sacrifice of blood and treasure, ascribe to "us" the victimhood of the contempt of others.

It's that kind of faux victimhood that feeds Trump and MAGA. Stop thinking like Trump!

[Admiral Yi]

I also think the steam has kind of gone out of this fight, so I wish you a happy weekend

Agreed.  Shalom.

[Grey Fox]

The primary benefit to American hegemony is that the world is stable.  A world free of American Hegemony is likely to be a world of competing power blocs and more armed conflict.  We could avoid the instability if our NATO allies took our place, which is why I called on our friends in Canada to step up and save us all from that.  There doesn't seem to be much of an appetite for that, which is odd since Hegemony is suppose to be so great for the Hegemon.


I am extremely pessimistic about the future.  At this point I'm hoping for an economic crash.  Honestly, a lot of us deserve what is coming.

A close second (first in my book) is that it has made Americans a lot of money. A buttload of it. So much so that you all have taken it for granted and have elected leaders that make you poorer by the day.

[Admiral Yi]

lol languish and elite don't belong in the same phrase

Then disregard that and instead focus on the question of why Jacob, who is the victim of my alleged bad faith, gave no indications of being bothered by my behavior. Too polite?  Not manly enough?

[Razgovory]

The primary benefit to American hegemony is that the world is stable.  A world free of American Hegemony is likely to be a world of competing power blocs and more armed conflict.  We could avoid the instability if our NATO allies took our place, which is why I called on our friends in Canada to step up and save us all from that.  There doesn't seem to be much of an appetite for that, which is odd since Hegemony is suppose to be so great for the Hegemon.


I am extremely pessimistic about the future.  At this point I'm hoping for an economic crash.  Honestly, a lot of us deserve what is coming.

A close second (first in my book) is that it has made Americans a lot of money. A buttload of it. So much so that you all have taken it for granted and have elected leaders that make you poorer by the day.

We were making buttloads of money before we had hegemony.  That's how we ended up in with the hegemony.  We were the richest country in the world by far.  And we didn't spend nearly as much on a military.  We were free-riding on the Pax Britannica.  If anything we have a smaller share of the world's wealth than we did 100 years ago.

[Admiral Yi]

I guess the gains from free trade and investment could be considered profits from hegemony, since GATT was largely an American initiative.  Does that mean Trump reinstituting trade barriers is a good thing for the rest of the world?